Panel made of expanded foam with hooks or loops

Abstract

A panel-forming assembly which is intended to be fixed to a surface of a vehicle or an aircraft, for example the floor of the trunk or a surface of the hatch of the spare-wheel compartment, and comprising, on the one hand, a panel of foam of expanded thermoplastic material, in particular expanded polypropylene or expanded polystyrene, which is constituted of an agglomeration of balls made of thermoplastic material and, on the other hand, hooks and/or loops issuing from the panel and intended to cooperate with loops and/or hooks issuing from the said one surface of a vehicle, characterized in that the assembly comprises an intermediate element ( 4 ) comprising a plate ( 5 ) from a face of which project the hooks ( 6 ) and/or the loops issuing from the panel that cooperate with the loops and/or the hooks ( 3 ) issuing from the surface of the vehicle, while from a face opposite the said one face of the plate there projects at least one piece ( 7 ) in the form of a fir tree comprising elements in the form of fir-tree branches ( 9 ) defining between them intermediate spaces or interstices (d), which piece is inserted into the panel ( 2 ).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A panel-forming assembly which is intended to be fixed to a surface of a vehicle or of an aircraft comprising, a panel of foam of expanded thermoplastic material, which is constituted of an agglomeration of balls made of the thermoplastic material, and hooks and/or loops issuing from the panel and intended to cooperate with loops and/or hooks issuing from the said one surface of a vehicle, characterised in that the assembly comprises an intermediate element ( 4 ) comprising a plate ( 5 ) from a face of which project the hooks ( 6 ) and/or the loops issuing from the panel that cooperate with the loops and/or the hooks ( 3 ) issuing from the surface of the vehicle, whilst from a face opposite the said one face of the plate there projects at least one piece ( 7 ) in the form of a fir tree comprising elements in the form of fir-tree branches ( 9 ) defining between them intermediate spaces or interstices (d), which piece is inserted into the panel ( 2 ); the largest dimension (d), measured perpendicularly to the panel, of the interstice formed between two adjacent and successive branches being greater than at least once the average diameter of the balls of the panel so that when the fir-tree-shaped piece is pushed into the panel in order thus to fix to the panel the hooks and/or the loops which are located on the other side of the plate in relation to the fir-tree piece, at least one ball is sandwiched between two adjacent and successive branches of the fir tree in order thus to ensure good fixation of the hooks and/or the loops to the panel. 
     
     
       2. An assembly according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the material and the shape of the fir-tree piece ( 7 ) are such that when the fir-tree piece has been introduced, by pushing, into the panel ( 2 ) the piece is not deformed and has expelled the foam by compressing it before the latter, once the piece is inserted, is decompressed in order to return to occupy at least in part at least one intermediate space. 
     
     
       3. An assembly according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the foam has not returned so far as to occupy completely the at least one intermediate space and remains at a distance from the stem ( 8 ) of the piece. 
     
     
       4. An assembly according to  claim 3 , characterised in that the point of the upper surface of a given branch of the fir tree as far as where the foam extends whilst in contact with this upper surface is called Ph; the point of the lower surface of said given branch of the fir tree as far as where the foam extends whilst in contact with this lower surface is called Pb; and the straight line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stem passing through the point Ph is called V; and at least for one branch of the fir tree, the point Pb is located outside the straight line V, that is, on the side of the straight line opposite the stem. 
     
     
       5. The assembly of  claim 4  wherein in the majority of the branches of the fir tree, the point Pb is located outside the straight line V, that is, on the side of the straight line opposite the stem. 
     
     
       6. The assembly of  claim 4  wherein in substantially all of the branches of the fir tree, the point Pb is located outside the straight line V, that is, on the side of the straight line opposite the stem. 
     
     
       7. An assembly according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the distance over which the foam is in contact with the lower surface of a branch is less than the distance over which the foam is in contact with the upper surface of the said one branch. 
     
     
       8. An assembly according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the fir-tree piece is made of metal. 
     
     
       9. A vehicle, having a surface which is at least partly covered by the panel of the assembly in accordance with one of  claim 1 , hooks and/or loops issuing from the said one surface of the vehicle and cooperating with the hooks and/or loops of the panel-forming assembly in order to ensure fixation. 
     
     
       10. The vehicle of  claim 9  which is an aircraft. 
     
     
       11. The vehicle of  claim 9  which is an automobile. 
     
     
       12. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein said expanded thermoplastic material is expanded polypropylene. 
     
     
       13. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein said expanded thermoplastic material is expanded polystyrene.